Why is math required for a computer science degree?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hire IT engineers.

You don’t need CS degrees to be a programmer or engineer.

You need Math to do a CS degree at most universities.

Universities are a business and they make students take many classes that are not necessary.

So basically, you aren't good enough to be an engineer or data scientist yourself, and you have no idea what you're talking about, but you've got all sorts of opinions about what is or isn't necessary for the job. Got it.

Funny. I have a degree in Math. I have been an engineer but that is not where the real money is. You seem to have a chip on your shoulder about something.

There's no way that you have a bachelor or higher degree in mathematics from a decent institution.

And yeah, I find it frustrating when HR idiots force professionals getting work done to waste time and break up their day to interview people who are completely unable to do the job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hire IT engineers.

You don’t need CS degrees to be a programmer or engineer.

You need Math to do a CS degree at most universities.

Universities are a business and they make students take many classes that are not necessary.

Did you join the military after HS? That's another route to get into "IT" without doing Math. There are lots of technicians type of jobs that don't require math.

But you will never be able to work in a product team that develops the actual software and hardware.

[Anonymous]

Discrete math a must.

[Anonymous]

OP your DS approach sounds like “ I don’t need to be an engineer to drive a car”. That’s because it’s all done for you. But CS is learning how to DO it. Maybe he will like the higher maths more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here again, to the question of whether kid enjoys math. That is a complex answer too. Kid does not approve of ignorance, so my own math illiteracy is quite unattractive to kid. Kid, with no help or understanding from me, has pushed through h.s. to have gotten through calculus A/B in 11th grade. I don’t know that I would describe it as a joy... but kid does find satisfaction in grasping a concept after the initial (and often lengthy) struggle. Does this suggest that kid should “spare the professors”? This is a true question...do folks who pursue CS, math, engineering or physics degrees have some greater level of “joy” in their math courses? I would not seek to dissuade kid if the struggle is real for other students who succeed in those majors but maybe the ones who succeed in those majors have some natural aptitude and ability to just grasp math concepts that DC is not so blessed with? While capable with effort for DC the struggle has been real....does this suggest DC is ill suited?

Are you suggesting that your child give up because it's hard? Even though he does eventually get it after trying? I mean, did you coast through life or something? Did you enjoy every single college class you took and now you LOVE your career? (oh wait, you're clearly a SAHM).

This is the stupidest question - if your kid wants to do this, if he's doing a good job and getting good grades, for god's sake, don't tell him "no, you need to get JOY out of your classes in order to get a degree". How awful. Please go back to supporting Marianne Williamson and let your kid get through college. Stop giving him advice. Now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Math is an easy way to filter out incapable kids. Engineering is similar. If one can do math then one can do most other stem fields.

That is stupid considering we have a need for STEM people. We don’t need to weed we need to grow.

One does need to weed. There seem to be a lot of kids who have illusions about being engineers or something like that, but just do not have the chops for it. Basic math (some linear algebra or basic diff equations) is an easy way to filter for it, ideally before college.

Amazes me that parents are willing to pay 70k a year for these basic level classes that people have known about for centuries if not millenia, e.g. calculus, basic physics, etc. I went to decent high school in Europe and we learned most of the foundational stuff in high school, but we were sorted out earlier around 8th grade based on stem or other ability.

[Anonymous]

Robots are going to do all these jobs.

[Anonymous]

You can do IT without math but you can't do computer science without at least calculus level. IT and programming are different industrues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again, to the question of whether kid enjoys math. That is a complex answer too. Kid does not approve of ignorance, so my own math illiteracy is quite unattractive to kid. Kid, with no help or understanding from me, has pushed through h.s. to have gotten through calculus A/B in 11th grade. I don’t know that I would describe it as a joy... but kid does find satisfaction in grasping a concept after the initial (and often lengthy) struggle. Does this suggest that kid should “spare the professors”? This is a true question...do folks who pursue CS, math, engineering or physics degrees have some greater level of “joy” in their math courses? I would not seek to dissuade kid if the struggle is real for other students who succeed in those majors but maybe the ones who succeed in those majors have some natural aptitude and ability to just grasp math concepts that DC is not so blessed with? While capable with effort for DC the struggle has been real....does this suggest DC is ill suited?

Are you suggesting that your child give up because it's hard? Even though he does eventually get it after trying? I mean, did you coast through life or something? Did you enjoy every single college class you took and now you LOVE your career? (oh wait, you're clearly a SAHM).

This is the stupidest question - if your kid wants to do this, if he's doing a good job and getting good grades, for god's sake, don't tell him "no, you need to get JOY out of your classes in order to get a degree". How awful. Please go back to supporting Marianne Williamson and let your kid get through college. Stop giving him advice. Now.

Harshly worded but +1
Kid should really be making these decisions for him/herself soon enough if not already. Kid presumably has the internet to research not sure why he/she is asking mommy who clearly has no CS experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Robots are going to do all these jobs.

Who designs and programs the robots?

[Anonymous]

OP back again, the exchanges here are interesting. I appreciate the insights!
To the poster wondering if I was suggesting DC not pursue a STEM degree because Calculus took effort you misunderstood my question, or it was poorly asked. A PP suggested that the ‘poor professors be spared’ having a kid who is not “gifted” in math courses being in their CS (or maybe any STEM degree) courses. I wondered if that is a legit concern. Then a different PP chimed in and mentioned another current thread about CS degrees from LACs and noted those professors may be more supportive of a kid who doesn’t immediately get it. I am not entirely clear if folks who gain CS degrees (or physics, math, etc) do struggle in those courses or whether they just “get it”. I suppose it is a silly question, of course all growth is uncomfortable and challenging. I guess I worry about the “weed out” theory.

[Anonymous]

DD just got dual degrees in physics and math. She said after a certain point it was no longer a topic you could “get”. You just needed to struggle through the agony and work until you eventually chipped away at the answers. Everyone was smart enough, but not everyone was stubborn enough. She thought math was a breeze right up until her last two classes and then she felt they were far more brutal than physics, which was always a nightmare. Programming was just something you picked up on the side as a nice little skill. I don’t know about CS, but the math and physics people seem to be a certain type.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think you have to love mathematics - but you need to to be able to tolerate it, at least not hate it.

If your kid does CS engineering, the foundational courses are all over the field, including in physics. If the student wants it badly enough, s/he’ll need to plow through these fields. So, no, the student doesn’t have to love the distribution requirements - but s/he shouldn’t hate those.

[Anonymous]

23:11 and 1:31 thank you. Stubborn is a great description of DC’s study habits. While I would probably say Calc was not pleasant for DC in h.s. I notice DC took on tutoring an on-line friend after DC was already finished with the course and can tell me what their other friends in different h.s’s are doing in their math classes making me think DC seeks out these topics in discussions. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Any school with a strong computer science program but a weak math program should just rename their computer science department to software engineering.

Tbh, math and computer science should never have been separated, computer science should've been a concentration within math. But corporations set the demand for majors and would rather churn out code monkeys than innovative problem solvers.